


Situational Awareness

by etherrealowl



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha Bokuto Koutarou, Alpha Kageyama Tobio, Alpha Kuroo Tetsurou, Alpha Nishinoya Yuu, Alpha Sawamura Daichi, Alpha Shimizu Kiyoko, Alpha Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Alpha Yaku Morisuke, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Beta Azumane Asahi, Beta Tsukishima Kei, Beta Yamaguchi Tadashi, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Marking, Mild OoC, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Omega Akaashi Keiji, Omega Haiba Lev, Omega Hinata Shouyou, Omega Kozume Kenma, Omega Sugawara Koushi, Omega Yachi Hitoka, Pack Bonding, Scenting, The Author Regrets Nothing, Witch Iwaizumi Hajime, Witch Oikawa Tooru
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:35:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29768703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etherrealowl/pseuds/etherrealowl
Summary: A/B/O Haikyuu, see the tags, maybe eventual smut, graphic depictions of violence, no major character death, character study, and societal study. No cheating on partners. Updates sporadically.Iwaizumi and Oikawa will come later for those of you who noticed the tag updates. They are currently out of the picture, and don't read the tags if you don't want a spoiler for why they're currently out of the picture. Just know this isn't a normal "A/B/O" setting. There's a reason they're all like this.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	1. Of Apples and Cinnamon

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Description of violence, description of attempted assault (sexual)

**Kozume Kenma POV**

“If I thought college was going to be this involved, I don’t think I would have signed up for it.” Shouyou’s complaints float out of the speaker of my phone that is currently laying between Kuro and I on the floor of our shared apartment. Kuro scoffs at the phone, his lips turned up in a sly smirk, but he doesn’t comment. He always listens in when Hinata and I talk, well, as of the past year. He says he doesn’t mind listening to us talk and that it is background noise to him as we study and do our homework, but I know that isn’t it. The attack on us a year ago is still fresh in all of our minds, and I know our Alphas are even more protective of us now than they were before. “And Kageyama is even being more and more irritating than usual! Just yesterday I tried to bring up what the league said to me and he walked away without a word!”

I frown down at the phone, and Kuro does too. We both feel bad for what is going on with Shouyou and the league. For college volleyball, as an Omega, he just has to be more careful than the other players. He wears multiple scent repression patches, showers in the Omega locker room, and has to use scentless shower soap. He isn’t the only Omega on the team, Koushi is on the team as well, but he is the only one we know who wants to go pro.

“I love volleyball, Kenma. It’s all I want to do. I’ve worked so hard for it! But sometimes I don’t know if it’s ever going to work out.”

“What did the league tell you, Shrimpy?” Kuro asks, the teasing nickname used to help try and draw Shouyou out of his depressing tone of voice, but it doesn’t help.

“They said they won’t consider me for a spot on the team unless I’m mated to an Alpha who will protect me. They said an unmated Omega is too dangerous for the team, and that it is too dangerous for me, too. They offered to find me a mate, but there’s only one Alpha I trust enough for that.”

“I-” Kuro starts, clearing his voice with a frown, his scent spiking in irritation. “I see their point, Shrimpy, but that doesn’t mean it’s fair to you.”

“I know that, Kuroo-san. And I appreciate that.”

“Is there anything we can do for you, Shou?”

Shouyou’s laughter floats out of the receiver loud enough that I feel like I can almost smell his bright citrus scent in the apartment.

“Kenma, _you’re_ offering me help when it comes to love and mating?! You can’t even-”

“SHOUYOU, SHUT UP!” I hiss into the phone, cutting him off, Kuro shoots me a loaded look, telling me without words that we would be discussing what it was that Shouyou was about to say. I frown at him, but choose to hold my tongue, praying that he would forget. “I’m being a good friend.”

“I mean, there’s only one thing that would help, and that would be getting Bakageyama to actually sit down and listen to me about this. I know we aren’t courting or anything, but it’s not like either of us are wanting to court anyone anyway, and I really need a mate.”

“Shrimpy, I don’t think that’s a really good idea. Are you sure you want to form a mate bond with someone you don’t love?” Kuro asks, a frown on his lips, his eyes uncharacteristically serious and concerned. “Mate bonds are serious business.”

“I can’t think of anyone I would ever trust to have that kind of control over me than Tobio.” Shouyou’s voice is subdued over the phone, nearly a whisper. “And it’s not like I don’t love him.”

“Love between friends and love between mates are different, Shouyou.”

“Love between friends is a good foundation for love between mates though, isn’t it, Kenma?”

I can hear the teasing tone in his voice, and can feel Kuro’s eyes on me as my face heats up a little.

“Kit-”

“So, Shouyou, how’s Tadashi?” I interrupt, not wanting to hear whatever asinine thing was about to come out of Kuro’s mouth. Any sentence that starts with “Kitten” is not a sentence I want anyone but the two of us to hear.

“He says he’s okay, and he’s back to giving piano lessons again, but he’s still skittish. I mean, I can’t blame him. I’m still skittish about going out without one of our Alphas with us. But he’s usually always with Tsukishima, so I think that’s been helping him a bit. I know he hasn’t been spending as much time with all of us lately because all of the Alpha scents are a little overwhelming to him still, and he makes his students wear scent repression patches for his lessons. Tsukishima or Asahi-san always go to his lessons as well to keep him company.”

“Is he still flinching when anyone but Tsukishima touches his hands or shoulders?”

“Only if you do it without him knowing you’re going to touch him. If you tell him you’re going to touch him, he doesn’t flinch. But if you just grab his hand or pat his shoulder in passing, he flinches and his scent spikes.”

I frown down at the phone, pushing back the memories of that night, pushing away the slight panic I feel remembering it. It’s been a while now, the end of my first year of college and the end of their last year of high school, but it still feels fresh in my mind. The fear we all felt, the helplessness.

“How are you feeling, Kenma? Still doing okay?” Shouyou asks, his voice quiet.

“I’m fine, Shouyou. Tadashi had it a lot worse than I did.” I smile down at the phone softly. “And you were a beast, so we all know that you’re doing just fine.”

“Heck yeah I was!” He sounds like he’s bursting from the praise. “I kicked ass for just a ‘shrimpy little Omega’!”

“Can you go and check on Tadashi for me, Shou? I don’t want to overwhelm him, but I also know that he won’t ask for help. It’ll make me feel better if I know you’re with him.” I ask, and I feel more than see Kuro’s nod of approval.

“OH! Of course! That’s a great idea, Kenma! I’ll go ask him if he wants to go watch a movie or something! I’ll talk to you later!”

The line goes silent a moment later, my phone blinking off as the call ends, leaving just Kuro and I alone in the apartment again. My thoughts swirl back to that night again, and I forcefully push them away. It’s been months. I don’t need to keep dwelling on this. Even Tadashi is moving on. I don’t need to still feel scared. I don’t need to still feel like I’m back in that alley any time I smell an unfamiliar Alpha.

The scent of burning cinnamon pulls me from my thoughts. The instinct to comfort the Alpha next to me is nearly overwhelming, compounding on my natural instinct to comfort my best friend. I roll up to my knees and lean over to Kuro, putting my head on his shoulder. He flinches, but doesn’t move to push me off.

“Kenma?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you-” He coughs, gently putting an arm around my waist and squeezing. “Are you doing okay? With, ya know, recovery and all that?”

“I didn’t have it that bad, Kuro. I wasn’t bitten like Tadashi was, and I don’t have as bad of sensitivity to other Alpha’s scents as Tadashi does. I can still go around other Alphas, though it’s uncomfortable when their scent is heavy.”

“Kenma, not having it as bad as someone else doesn’t mean that you can’t still feel upset over it.” Kuro whispers, looking at me as he pulls away slightly. “Do you want me to start wearing repression patches inside our apartment, too? Is my scent too much?”

“What? No, of course not!” I manage to get out, frowning at Kuro, turning to look at him fully. “Kuro, I love the way you smell. You make me feel safe. You don’t make me feel scared at all.”

“I… I make you feel safe?”

I take a deep breath before gathering the courage I have and climbing into Kuro’s lap. I place my hands on his face, forcing him to look at me, and try to keep the blush across my cheeks from being so strong at the compromising position I’ve put us both in. I push down the instinct to tell him the truth, to tell him why he makes me feel so safe. Kuro needs comfort, not confusion.

“Kuro, you’ve always made me feel safe. Ever since we were kids. Before we presented, before we knew what we were going to be, before we even thought of what we could be. You’ve sat with me through too many panic attacks to count, comforting me, showing me that you’d always be there on the other side. You carried me home when I presented, protected me through my first heat by sitting outside my bedroom door for days, and have done it for every heat I’ve had since. You got my school work for me from our friends, would help me through it when I finished my heat, made sure I never fell behind. You’ve protected me since I was seven years old, Kuro. Why wouldn’t I feel safe with you?”

“But I couldn’t protect you that night.” He protests, his face in my neck, scenting me. I fight back a shiver at the feeling of his breath on my scent glands, taking deep breaths to keep myself calm and collected. “I wasn’t there when I should have been, Kenma.”

“Kuro,” I frown at him. “Kuro, look at me.”

He lifts his head slowly, his eyes glassy as they meet mine.

“What do you remember of that night?”

“I remember Bo getting a frantic call from Akaashi. I remember we were all laughing at the restaurant, waiting for you guys because it was taking a little longer than normal for you all to get here, but I figured you stopped along the way for some mochi or something. But then, I saw Bo’s face when he took the call. He looked so scared, so mad, he couldn’t even speak. I took the phone from him, because he wouldn’t answer me when I asked what was wrong, and all I heard was Akaashi crying, begging for help, begging for us to come and help you guys. And I just, I couldn’t breathe. I was so petrified of something happening to you that I just ran out of the restaurant, and the rest of the guys followed, and I just knew I had to get to you. I ran down the street towards where you guys were going to be coming from, and I could smell you, and I could smell how scared you were.

“And I got to the alley, and I saw that Alpha with his tongue on your neck, pressed up against you so tight I thought there was no way you could breathe, and you looked so terrified. And you were crying, and you kept crying my name. So I grabbed him, and I ripped him off you, breaking his arm when I wrenched him away from you. Then I broke it again when I shoved it behind his back hard enough to shove him across the alley. And he came back at me, so I broke his jaw. I remember hearing the others helping Yamaguchi. I remember hearing Hinata yelling and kicking the Alpha that attacked him after Kageyama knocked him out, and I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill him for putting his tongue on you, his hands on you, his scent on you.”

He starts to cry and shake in a mixture of anger and fear, the smell of burnt and rotting cinnamon growing around us like a thick cloud. He presses his forehead against my own, letting out a light huff.

“I didn’t really think about it much at the time, but I did think about it in the hospital after when the doctor talked to us. The whole reason the Alpha didn’t try anything more than he did with you was because no one but me can really smell you when you aren’t in heat. It’s like you hold in your pheromones with everyone else, but with me, they’re the same as they always are. I was so grateful for being able to smell you outside of your heat, because I wouldn’t have found you as fast without it. I wouldn’t have gotten there in time to help you. And Sawamura and Tsukishima wouldn’t have been able to stop that other Alpha before he… before he did something worse to Yamaguchi than what was already done.”

“Kuro, you protected me. Like you always do. You did nothing wrong. You did everything right. You don’t always have to be by my side for me to know you care, Kuro.”

“But I want to be, Kenma. I always want to be by your side. I always want to protect you. I love you, Kenma. You know this. You know I’d claim you right now if you were ready for something that serious.”

“I love you, too.” I whisper, kissing the top of his head, and he finally wraps his arms tight around me.

“Thank you for telling me how you’re feeling, Kitten.”

I frown at the pet name, swatting his shoulder.

“Congrats, Kuro, you ruined the moment. Now let me up. We need to get dinner started for Bokuto and Akaashi, and we need to finish our homework.”

“You mean _I_ need to get dinner started and _you_ need to finish your homework?” He asks, a smile in his voice, and I shrug.

“I do know how to cook.”

“You know how to make things that come in a packet and how to order takeout.”

“That’s close enough.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Is too.”

“Is not.”

“Is too.”

“Is not.”

“... is too.” I kiss the top of his head and slowly climb out of his lap, hiding a smirk at the flush on his cheeks behind my hair. Even after all of these years as best friends, and the past few months of courting, Kuro still flushes every time I show him even a little bit of affection. It’s adorable, and refreshing, and just so normal that it makes the heavy conversation from earlier feel so much further away.

Kuro sighs, pressing a kiss to the top of my head in retaliation as he heads to the kitchen, a wide smile on his face. I settle back down to do my work, listening to Kuro bustle around in the kitchen. I know Koutarou and Keiji will be over soon, and it makes me want to get my work done faster, if only to hide all of my coding books and homework from the human tornado known as Bokuto Koutarou. I smirk to myself, thinking of how he’s mellowed since bonding with Keiji, but not enough to change who he is completely. He’s just more domesticated, more calm, and less prone to random dangerous acts without thought.

I let myself daydream of what it would be like to finally say yes to Kuro, to let him claim me, what our life would look like with a more domesticated Kuro. I picture a domesticated tom cat cuddling up on a window sill, lazy golden eyes blinking slowly, and chuckle to myself. Maybe being mated wouldn’t be so bad.


	2. Wishing for Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Yet again, mention of violence, flashback to the assault and attempted assault (sexual), mentions of blood, anxiety attack
> 
> Please don't read this if it's going to trigger you. You can ask me for details if you want to skip this chapter. It's a lot more graphic than the last one because it's an actual flash back to the assault, not just Kuroo describing what he saw on his end. This is from Yamaguchi's POV, so it's a lot more violent, and a lot more anxiety inducing. Please stay safe.
> 
> There will be some fluff and heavy conversations later on in the chapter, too. Sorry this work isn't fluffy. Go find one of my other works if you want fluffy or ask me and I'll link you an uncomfortable amount of KuroKen fluff to feel better, yeah?

**Yamguchi Tadashi POV**

Music has always been my comfort in life. It brought me closer to Tsukki when we first met. It helped me through the death of my grandmother. It helped me through the bullying and harsh words of others for the way I look. It helped me through the tense moments with my family after I presented as a Beta in a long, proud line of Alphas. It helped me learn what I wanted to do with my life, what I wanted to major in, and helped me know what to do with my hands after I stopped playing volleyball.

Music helped bring me back from the edge after we were attacked. After I was nearly raped. After I was moments away from being forcefully bonded to an Alpha I had never met.

It’s been quite a few months since then, and I know I should be getting past it, but the scars are still on my skin. Every time I shower I can see the indent in my shoulder from where the Alpha’s venom burned into my shoulder. Every time I play my piano I can see the ring of teeth on my hand where he bit me, trying to claim me, my hand getting in the way at the last possible moment. 

I’ve finally gone back to teaching piano, trying to gain back a semblance of normalcy in my life. I still have trouble being around all of my friends who are Alphas, but it’s getting better. Asahi and Tsukki have been with me as much as possible, especially when I teach, and it always makes me feel safer. Even though Asahi is dating Noya, and smells like Alpha most days when he comes to my piano practices with me and Tsukki, it doesn’t bother me. It’s just a light undertone of sage on his skin, mingling with his own minty scent. The first few days he tried to change clothes, wear only clothes washed in scentless soap outside of their shared apartment, but I’ve told him time and time again he doesn’t need to do that. The smell of Noya is so faint on the clothing that it doesn’t freak me out, and if anything, has been like exposure therapy for me. 

I smile at my student in encouragement as she pauses and starts to get flustered over a few missed keys in her piece. She takes a deep breath, then starts over again on the repetitive and stoothing notes of “Agile” by Pontus De Bjorn. She’s a young Alpha girl, still in high school, and her dedication is admirable. Instead of putting all her extra effort and dominance into sports, she instead wanted to hone her skills, and use the beauty of music to teach herself to use her faster reactions and reflexes to play the piano instead. She has picked up on each sheet of music I have given her in record time, all smiles and sunshine. I still don’t know what she smells like, being that I took her on as a student after the assault, and I refuse to let any of my students into the practice room without scent repression patches and clothes that do not smell heavily of their scents. Tsukki tells them it’s to keep them from distracting others before or after them, or others in the building, but I’m not sure if they all believe him.

Asahi tells me I shouldn’t care either way, because I’m their teacher, and I can always refuse to help them and teach them if they can’t comply with what makes me comfortable. I had to fight back the urge to laugh at the glass-hearted Beta trying to tell me to put my foot down when it came to others. It was just an odd thing to hear from him of all people, though I know it came from a place of honest caring.

Tsukki looks up at me from his seat in the corner, holding up his phone, and I can see that our time together is done. I smile down at the young Alpha, touching the side of the piano in her line of sight rather than her shoulder.

“Hattori-kun, that’s the end of our time for today. Keep practicing on your own, and I’ll see you in two weeks for your next lesson.” I smile at her warmly, proud of her, and she beams up at me.

“Yes, Yamaguchi-senpai! Thank you!”

She jumps up from her seat, gathering her sheet music and the corrections I’ve made for her to study based on what I’ve noticed during her lesson and places it in her bag. She is nearly at the door when the door swings open, the scent of an unfamiliar Alpha rolling into the room, and she lets out a shocked yelp.

“Uchida-san! I told you to wait outside! Yamaguchi-senpai doesn’t like anyone without patches on in the practice room, it causes issues for other students!”

The Alpha, Uchida, has the decency to look mildly contrite as he links arms with her and walks out of the room, but the damage is done. I can feel the panic setting in, clawing up my throat, pushing me back into the memories I’ve been trying to forget. I can vaguely feel the room around me, but it’s like I can’t control my thoughts, like I can’t stop myself from being back in that alleyway.

_”Bokuto-san! Please! Please come help them!” I can hear Akaashi crying, he sounds so scared, but I can’t spare him a glance. I keep backing up, faster and faster, praying that the Alpha loses interest and walks away. I’m just a Beta. There’s no need for him to want me, not with Shouyou and Kenma standing so close to me. But all of the Alpha’s focus is on me, just like all the focus of the other two Alphas are on Shouyou and Kenma._

_I can hear Shouyou yelling at the Alpha, kicking at him and ducking around his grabbing hands, always one to fight back. I hear the Alpha cursing at him, telling him to just stay still. I can see Kenma now, the Alpha in front of me cocking his head to the side to watch as Shouyou and the other Alpha dart around each other. Kenma is pinned back against the opposite side of the alley, the Alpha after him pressed up against him tight, caging him in. He’s licking up the side of Kenma’s neck, trying to gather his scent, trying to find a scent that he just won’t find outside of Kenma’s heat. Kenma’s crying, whimpering for Kuroo-san to come and save him, and I start crying as well._

_”Please, please stop. Please leave us alone.” I manage to get out, backing up from the Alpha until my back hits the wall behind me. The Alpha before me turns his attention back to me with a small smile, leaning in close, his breath hot on my face. I feel like I can’t breathe._

_”That little Omega looks like too much trouble, and I never was one for going after something I can’t smell. But you…” He trails off, pushing his nose into my neck with a groan. “You smell like the night sky, so calming and pretty. I knew Betas could smell nearly as good as Omegas, but damn if I haven’t smelled one this pretty in a long, long time.”_

_His mouth is getting closer and closer to my shoulder, pressing little kisses along the skin, and I whimper. I don’t want him this close to me. I don’t ever want anyone this close to me but my friends. Even Tsukki doesn’t get this close to me, no matter how much I want him to._

_”Tsukki.” I manage to whimper, calling out to him, but the Alpha just chuckles._

_”I’ll make you forget all about whoever that is, baby boy. Just one bite, and I’ll have you only knowing my name.” The Alpha promises, and I jerk away at the same time his body lurches to one side, kicked by Shouyou. Instead of my neck the Alpha’s fangs dig into my shoulder, and I scream out in agony, trying to push him off of me._

_”Stop fucking struggling, little Beta. You’re going to be mine, and then you won’t fight back.” He growls, opening his mouth wide to bite again, and I slap my hand over my neck at the very last moment, his teeth shredding into the back of my hand instead of my glands. I nearly weep in relief, but the burning in my hand and my shoulder is starting to hurt way too much, all the angry and horny Alpha pheromones starting to choke me, and I try to shove him off of me, but he doesn’t let go._

_”Get off of him!” I hear Kuroo roar, racing into the alleyway like a streak of black, and I hear the sickening snap coming from the Alpha pinning Kenma to the wall. I’m still struggling against the weight of the Alpha against me as he tries to pry my hand away from my neck, trying to go in for a third bite. His weight is suddenly gone, and I nearly collapse. I smell cloves, and know it’s Daichi-san holding me up. I see the back of Tsukki’s head and the back of his sweater as he is straddling the Alpha who bit me, his fists rhythmically hitting down at the figure on the ground._

_I hear the sounds of the others around us, Bokuto calming Akaashi, Noya and Asahi and Suga looking shocked and scared, Yaku and Lev calling for an ambulance, Kuro and Kageyama and Hinata beating on the other two Alphas. But Tuskki is still hitting the Alpha that is lying prone on the ground, and I’m still being held by Daichi-san, and the smell of Alpha is just making me panic more. I don’t feel safe. I won’t feel safe. I can’t feel safe._

_”Tsukki.” I call out, tears streaming down my face, and he stops hitting the Alpha he has on the ground, looking over his shoulder at me. I’m not sure what he sees, but he gets up slowly from the Alpha, blood on his knuckles and some on his shirt as he walks to me and Daichi-san. He pulls me into his arms, and I bury my face in his chest, breathing in the scent of moonlight that has always calmed me. I’ll always be safe if I can just smell moonlight around me._

It’s the smell of moonlight around me that pulls me back from the memories. I find myself in Tsukki’s lap, on the floor of the practice room, his jacket wrapped around my shoulders and his headphones on my head, a recording of “Moonlight Sonata” flowing through the headphones.

“Kei?” I ask, pulling the headphones around my shoulders so I can hear him better. “Can we go home?”

“Anything you want, Tadashi.” He whispers against the side of my head. “Anything you want. Anything you need. You know I’ll give you the world if you ask me to.”

“I just want to go home, Kei.” I whisper back. I feel so drained. I wonder how much longer I’m going to have to deal with these flashbacks, these panic attacks, this bone-crushing fear every time I smell an unfamiliar Alpha.

“Do you want to talk to Yachi-san about this? Or maybe Hinata?” Kei leads me out of the practice room with a hand on my lower back, almost propelling me forward.

“I think I want to talk to Shouyou about it, but only if you’re there.” I look up and over my shoulder at him, making sure he can see how serious I am. “You make me feel safe, Kei.”

The flush across his cheeks makes me smile, and I step back and to the side, burrowing into his side as I wrap his arm around my shoulders instead of against my back. We walk back to the house pressed together, and I don’t even notice until we’re nearly home, but I haven’t panicked at a single Alpha we’ve passed.

“I guess I really do make you feel safe, Tadashi.” Kei murmurs in what sounds like disbelief. “We passed at least three different Alphas without patches on, and another two Omegas who smelled heavily enough of Alpha that it would have done at least something to you, and you didn’t even flinch.”

“No one can hurt me when I’m with you, Tsukki. You’ll always protect me, right?”

“I couldn’t protect you that night, though.” He frowns down at me, and I shake my head at him.

“You saved me. You came, and you stopped him from biting me again. If you hadn’t come and knocked him off me, he would have bound me, Tsukki. He said so. He said he would make me forget all about you and bind me to him. You protected me from that. You saved me from that. Just like you’ve always saved me. Our whole lives you’ve saved me. From bullies, from other Betas, from Alphas, from… from myself.” I whisper, looking down at my feet, not wanting to remember why he had to save me from myself.

“I’ll always be here, Tadashi. I just wish I could have gotten to you sooner. Wish I had known what was happening so I could have been there sooner. But we aren’t bound, so I had no idea.”

“But at least Akaashi-san made the call to Bokuto-san. If he hadn’t, I don’t know if you would have known in time. Kuroo-san was fast, but even he said he had no idea something was wrong. The only one of us who were bonded was Akaashi-san, and apparently he was so panicked that he panicked Bokuto-san just as badly.”

“Would you want that? A bond like that?”

“Would I want a mate bond, you mean?” I think about it for a few minutes as we continue walking towards our house, just a block away. “I’ve… I’ve thought about it. A lot. And I’ve spent a lot of time talking with Kenma and Shouyou and Akaashi-san and Suga-san. Shouyou wants to bond so he can be on the national team, but he also doesn’t trust any Alpha but Kageyama. Kenma wants to bond, but is scared of it. Akaashi-san and Suga-san both say that bonding was one of the best decisions they ever made. I think… I think if I were to bond, I would like it. I would be happy to share a part of myself with another, and have a part of them as a part of me, too. To know when they’re hurt, when they’re upset, when they’re happy, when they’re fearful, and for them to know the same of me. I think it would be nice for someone to know me like that, and for me to know them in turn.”

“Would you- I mean- would you maybe want that with me?”

I stop in my tracks, turning my head to the side, looking at Tsukki as he looks anywhere but at me.

“Tsukishima Kei, are you asking me to be your mate?”

“Y-yes.” He nods sharply, still looking anywhere but at my face, his cheeks turning a lovely rosey color. The smell of moonlight is all around me, and I can’t help but laugh.

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.” Tsukki snaps, frowning down at me.

“Sorry, Tsukki.” I manage to get out between giggles, a bright smile on my face. “But yes, I think I would want that with you.”

“You would?!” He shouts, and I smile even wider, nodding back at him. “You’re sure?!”

“Tsukishima Kei, I would love nothing more than to be your mate.”

Kei laughs and grabs me by my waist, pulling me into his chest, and he presses his lips to my forehead, my cheeks, my nose, my lips. I’m drowning in what feels like an endless night sky, our scents intertwining as we stand on the sidewalk, two houses from our own, caught up in the frantic and ecstatic kisses he’s peppering all over my face and neck and I can’t help but feel like the luckiest person in the whole world.

“TADASHI!” Shouyou yells from our house, breaking us apart after a few minutes, and I can feel Tsukki getting irritated already. I smirk up at him, smacking him in the stomach lightly in a reminder to be nice to our housemate. “Do you want to watch a movie?!”

“Sure, Shouyou. Tsukki is going to watch with us. Do you want to invite Kageyama as well?”

“U-uhm. Well, he-he uh-he’s not home.” Shouyou stutters out, a frown on his face. Tsukki and I finish walking up to the house and brush past Shouyou, kicking off and stacking our shoes inside the door before walking to the living room hand in hand.

“He doesn’t have class or practice today, so where is he?” I ask, and Shouyou looks down at the floor with tears in the corners of his eyes.

“I tried to talk to him about what the league told me, about how I have to have an Alpha as a mate to be scouted, and that if I can’t find one who wants me then the league will offer some to me. I tried to tell him I didn’t want a random Alpha I had never met to be my mate, to have that kind of control over me, and that I only trust him. But he left before I could tell him. He saw the list of Alphas the league sent over that would be willing to forge a mate bond with me for a five year span so I can play in the league and he freaked out!”

“That sounds about right for the King.” Tsukki grinds out, his body posture saying he’s bored, but the tone of his voice showing how irritated he is at Kageyama’s actions. “Never wanting what is offered to him but pouting like a toddler who has his toy taken away by another.”

“What is that supposed to mean, Tsukishima?” Shouyou asks with a frown on his face, settling down onto the couch adjacent to ours, pulling up our list of movies.

“It means that the King doesn’t want to mate you, but he also doesn’t want anyone else to mate you.” I can feel Tsukki shrug against me, and I look over at Shouyou, frowning at the look on his face. “But it isn’t that he doesn’t like you, Hinata. I think the King is just scared.”

“What does _he_ have to be scared about?! He’s the Alpha! He’s the one with all the privilege and the power and the strength! He doesn’t have to fight half as hard as the rest of us! He can just use his designation and he gets whatever he wants!”

“Shouyou, that’s not how it works. I know most people think that, but just because Kageyama is an Alpha, that doesn’t mean he can’t be scared. Everyone gets scared, and everyone cries, and everyone gets upset. Growing up we were always told that Alphas had to be strong and providers and never cry and always be sure of themselves. We were told Omegas had to be docile and submissive and breeders and always emotional. Betas were always to be the level-headed ones, the ones who keep the Alphas and Omegas calm and in line when temperatures ran high, but that’s not true. We are more than our designation. We are more than our hormones. We are more than our scents. We’re people, too.”

“Hinata, you know how you always hate the way people think less of you because you’re small, and Omegan?”

Shouyou nods slowly, the movie select screen still holding his attention, though he hasn’t moved the cursor in a few moments.

“That’s kind of what you’re doing to Kageyama right now. You’re saying he shouldn’t feel scared or upset over the prospect of someone he obviously cares for being forced to bond to an Alpha in order to follow their dream. But he’s also scared of being that Alpha for you, because then he’d be the one trying to live up to your standards of what an Alpha should be. Do you remember in high school when Shimizu presented as an Alpha, and Tanaka presented as an Alpha, too? How everyone said he shouldn’t like her, because she was an Alpha, and so was he?”

“Yeah, he was really upset about it. He said it shouldn’t matter, that he had liked Shimizu-san for years, and that her designation wouldn’t change that.”

“What you didn’t see was that Shimizu was bullied relentlessly by girls all over the school, told she shouldn’t be taking all the attention from the Alpha boys because she was an Alpha, so she should go look for some Omega or Beta boys. But Shimizu was like Tanaka in that she didn’t care about someone’s designation. They’re getting married in the spring. And there is nothing wrong with two Alphas being mated and getting married, is there?”

“Of course not! Shimizu-san and Tanaka-san love each other!”

“And their designation roles don’t play a role in their life together, because they love each other. So why, if you love King, should his designation play in how he should act or feel?”

“I… I think I owe Kageyama an apology, don’t I?” Shouyou whispers out, dropping the remote and turning to face us.

“I think that would be a good idea, Shouyou.”

“But I don’t know where he is!” He stands up abruptly. “I’m going to have to go and find him!”

“There’s really no need for that, Hinata.”

“And why is that?”

“Because King has been standing in the genkan for the past ten minutes listening to our entire conversation.” Tsukki’s lips split into a wide grin, and I can’t help but giggle at the wide eyes Shouyou is giving us. “Haven’t you, King?”

“Don’t call me that.” Kageyama snaps, walking past the living room and down the hall to his room.

“Bakageyama, wait! I want to talk!” Shouyou yells out, scrambling after Kageyama.

“Fine!” Kageyama yells, and he pushes Shoyou into his room, slamming the door shut behind them.

A few minutes pass in blissful silence, and I lean deeper into Tsukki’s side.

“Do you think they’re going to come back out to watch the movie, Kei?”

“I don’t think so. You want to watch a dinosaur documentary, instead?”

“I got us _Prehistoric Creatures_.”

I grab the remote to set it up, knowing without words that Tsukki will want to watch it. I settle into his side with a smile on my face, perfectly content to watch the documentary with him until I fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do we want to see next? Scenes in the works are:  
> \- Bo and Akaashi, then Bo and Akaashi and Kuroo and Kenma for dinner  
> \- Yaku and Lev on a study date / impromptu photography session  
> \- Suga and Daichi - just household fluff in general  
> \- A volleyball practice/game showing how the designations play together and how it affects each other  
> \- Kageyama and Hinata's conversation  
> \- Asahi and Noya discussing completing their bond - or completing it?
> 
> Let me know what you want me to focus on for my next chapter! I'm going to continue with my main plot along with the little sub-stories and all that so don't worry! And if anyone finds mistakes, tell me? I don't have a beta


	3. Vanilla Kisses and Citrus Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No TW this chapter! I'm not sure how to summarize this, so just read it.

**Sawamura Daichi POV**

I smile down at the grey haired angel in my arms, his head resting lightly on my chest, his lips slightly parted in his sleep. He’s curled up close to me, his legs tangled in my own, his breath puffing against the bare skin of my neck. I can’t help but to press a light kiss into the crown of silver hair and fight back a smile as he sighs and snuggles closer to me in his sleep.

It’s nearly noon, but I don’t have the heart to wake him up just yet. He stays up so late studying, practicing his “teacher voice”, and dreaming of what his future classroom will look like. He has at least six different mood boards of different ideas for his future classroom based on what his kids might like, and based on the season, and based on what they will be learning in class for the month. Every time I ask him why he needs so many mood boards for just decorating a classroom he always just sticks his tongue out at me and tells me I’ll never understand the joy of decorating a room just for someone else’s enjoyment.

I never manage to tell him that I want to do this with him every day for the rest of our lives.

We’re only twenty-one, but we’ve been bonded since we were seventeen. I’ve been in love with him since we were fourteen. I’ve been his Alpha since the day I presented. I’ve known him inside and out for so many years, known all of his secrets, known all of his dreams. I even know the dreams that he refuses to talk about, fearful that mentioning them will make them never come true. But as his Alpha, I know I have to make them come true.

Sugawara Koushi only wants three things in life more than anything else.

To marry his Alpha after graduation.  
To become an Elementary School Teacher  
To become a parent.

Although it is rare for a male Omega to be able to have children, it is still possible. And even if it wasn’t, I know Koushi would love any child. No matter how we got that child, whether through surrogacy, through a normal adoption, or by the miracle of conceiving, Koushi would love that child all the same. As much as I would love to see Koushi pregnant, I’ve also done the research, and I know it isn’t all that safe for male Omegas to have children. Their bodies may be built to have children, they wouldn’t present as Omega without it, but they also aren’t naturally meant to carry children. Their hips aren’t as wide, their bodies have to shift their organs around, and they don’t have the natural layers of protection around their stomachs that female Beta and Omega women do. Because males were never meant to be Omega, just as women were never meant to be Alpha. But just because they weren’t meant to doesn’t mean that they aren’t. Plenty of things in nature have been twisted and subverted and tangled into each other in ways that they were never meant to be.

I don’t think I would feel any different about Suga if he had been a Beta, or another Alpha for that matter. I would still love Koushi all the same if he had a different scent, or even no scent at all. 

I lean closer, pressing Koushi back enough to nose at his neck, and sigh into the smell of vanilla soaking into my senses.

I would love Koushi no matter what he presented as. No matter what he looked like or smelled like. But I also cannot deny that I would miss the calming scent of vanilla on his skin.

“Daichi, stop, that tickles.” Koushi laughs, his eyes opening just enough to squint at me, a slight flush in his cheeks from just waking up.

“What does? This?” I smile at him gently before shoving my whole face into his neck, blowing raspberries into his pale skin. He shrieks in laughter, pushing me away with his hands as he keeps our legs intertwined in our blankets.

“DAICHI!” He shouts, laughing hard, his smile so wide his teeth nearly sparkle in the afternoon light. “I have to get up!”

“Yeah, you do. It’s like noon, Koushi.”

“So?” He asks, sliding out of the bed and padding to the bathroom on nearly silent feet. “I don’t have class today, and neither do you. What does it matter what time we get up if we have nowhere to be?”

I think for a moment, but can’t find a single reason.

“Fair point.” I concede. “You want some breakfast, babe?”

“Lunch?”

“You just want Mapo Tofu.” I accuse with a small smile as he returns from the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth.

“Extra spicy?”

“You know, one of these days you’re going to just burn all your tastebuds off. What will you do then?” I ask, pulling on a shirt and following him into the bathroom to brush my teeth as well.

“I guess I’d just have to keep eating spicier and spicier foods until I got them back.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works, Koushi.”

“It could be, Daichi. What would you know? You’re just a guy majoring in criminal justice.” He teases, a small smile on his lips as he rinses out his mouth. “I’m the one getting the real degree here.”

“Oh, education is a real degree?”

“Hey! Don’t forget the child psychology minor!”

“How could I forget?” I tease, slapping at his ass as he leaves the room in search of sweats.

“At least we aren’t out looking for a way to make everyone ‘normal’ again like Iwaizumi and Oikawa.” Koushi laughs, following me into the kitchen with a bright smile. I know he misses Oikawa just as much as I miss Iwaizumi, but they’re doing what they think is best. “Why they think they can change anything is beyond me.”

“We have to let them do what they want to do, Koushi. They’re doing what they think is best.”

“But it’s not fair for them to put it all on themselves! They’re not the reason why we’re all like this, Daichi. It’s not fair for them to have to fix it.”

“No one knows the real reason we’re all like this, Koushi.” I soothe, pulling my mate into my arms and letting out the most calming scent I can manage. “But if I know Oikawa and Iwaizumi, which I’d like to think I do, they know something they’re not telling us. What if they could do something to help the world, help those of us who are hurt by the way we are? What if they could find a way to help Hinata become a pro player without having to bond, or find a way so no other person is hurt by an Alpha the way Yamaguchi and Kenma were?”

I take a deep breath, pulling his head back to look at me, my hands cradling his face as if he was made of glass.

“What if they find a way for you to safely have my child? A child of your own creation, that you can carry in your own body, a perfect piece made of just you and me?”

“A baby? Our baby?”

I’ve never seen Koushi’s eyes so bright and full of hope. Even when we mated, when we tied that bond, he never looked this hopeful for the future. It was more that we were coming together, the way we were always meant to be. But a child of our own? That is a hope I don’t think either of us could ever let go of.

“What if they could find something to help? I don’t want to try until I know it’ll be safe for you, Koushi. I don’t think I could survive if you didn’t.” I confess, looking down at him with a soft smile. “I love you too much to lose you.”

“I love you, too.” He presses his lips against mine, and the tenderness quickly bleeds into something slightly rougher. He nips at my bottom lip, then soothes the nip with a slow stroke of the tongue. I pull him closer with a sharp tug, aligning our hips, swallowing the gasp he lets out.

“What do you say we skip breakfast and I have you instead?” I growl out against his lips, and his answering laugh falls into a moan as I grip his hips tigheter in my hands.

“I think that sounds like a good plan.” Koushi purrs in my ear, leaning up to nip at the lobe.

I smile into his neck and lift him quickly, encouraging him to wrap his legs around my waist with a slight tap to his ass. I start walking us back towards the stairs to the second floor when I hear frantic knocking on the front door.

“Ignore it.” Koushi starts, but then we can smell sour bamboo wafting through the door. “Nevermind, let me down, Daichi. Now.”

I drop Koushi quickly and follow him as he rushes to the door, wanting to comfort the waiting Alpha on the other side. We rarely smell Kageyama in a state of distress to this extreme. The last time we smelled him like this was when Hinata was attacked by an Alpha. The door flings open, Koushi grabbing Kageyama by the arm and dragging the distressed Alpha into the house, slamming the door behind him.

“Kageyama, what is it, sweetie?” Koushi asks quickly, letting out calming pheromones. “Is it Hinata? Is it you? Are you both okay?”

“We are both fine. I mean, we aren’t hurt. But,” He lets out a breath slowly, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “But the league says he has to have an Alpha to play. And they sent over a list of Alphas willing to bond him. A list of Alphas that he could bond with and be safe and protected and follow his dreams, and-”

“And you aren’t on the list because you haven’t told Hinata that you want to be his Alpha.” I finish for him. “So you’re freaking out and at our door because you realized that you want to be his Alpha?”

“I-” He frowns down at the floor, brushing Koushi’s hand off of his shoulder so he can sit on the couch in the living room with a small sigh. “Yes. I can’t stand the thought of another Alpha having any sort of control over him. Another Alpha exerting their will over him, making him do things he doesn’t want to do, making him feel things he doesn’t want to feel.”

“You don’t know that they would do that, though, Kageyama. What if they’re a nice Alpha who takes care of him?” Koushi soothes.

“No one else can take care of him the way I can. I know him. I can protect him. I can be his Alpha and he can follow his dreams and he can do what he wants to do and he won’t ever be held back. I’ll protect him so he can do whatever he wants and he won’t ever have to worry about me changing his mind for him or pushing him to do things he doesn’t want to do.”

“Kageyama, why don’t you tell Hinata this, instead of us?” I ask with a frown, confused as to why he’s telling us in the first place. Or why he’s so scared and distressed if he already knows all of this.

“Because I can’t tell him. Because what if I tell him, and he asks me why I’m the only one who can take care of him right? Why would I want to bond myself to him and no one else? Why would I let him follow his dreams and give up something I could have with someone else?” His voice is getting louder and louder the more he speaks, his frustration mounting, his scent of bamboo getting thicker in the air. “What if he asks, Sawamura?!”

“What if he asks if you’re in love with him?” I laugh, not intimidated in the least by his thickening scent. I may not be the overall Alpha of our group, that title goes to Kuroo, but I am higher in our pack hierarchy than Kageyama. “We all already know you are. All of us know you love Hinata.”

“But he doesn’t.”

“No, he doesn’t know. But he does trust you more than anyone else. He does love you in his own way.” I reply back simply. “I don’t know if he loves you the way Koushi and I love each other, but that may change. What matters is what you feel. You love him. You want to protect him. What is the best way to do that? Letting him mate with a random Alpha from the team to be able to follow his dream, or mating with you, who he knows and we all know would protect him?”

Kageyama remains silent and still on the couch, not answering.

“Kageyama, listen,” Koushi starts, standing from the couch to crouch into Kageyama’s line of sight, his hands on his face. “You love Hinata. You love him and want to protect him. I want the best for the both of you, because you are both members of our pack. Hinata is an Omega. He may not like it, but he can’t change that. And as an Omega, he has needs. Either you put on your big boy pants and take care of those needs, or step back and let someone else do it.”

“Yes, Sugawara-senpai.” Kageyama stands and bows first to Koushi, then me, before walking back to the door. “I will talk to Hinata about this and come to a decision with him. Thank you.”

“That’s what pack-mates are for, Kageyama.” Koushi smiles softly, and Kageyama thanks us again before leaving with a slight frown on his face.

Koushi turns back from the front door with a sly smile on his lips, walking towards me slowly before twining his arms behind my neck.

“So, Alpha, where were we?”

“I believe I was about to take you upstairs to have you for lunch?” I purr out, nipping at the side of his neck as I pull his hips to align with my own.

Koushi smiles wide and bright, jumping slightly to wrap his legs around my hips and leaning down to press our lips together in a quick and dirty kiss full of teeth and tongue. I take my time taking us up the stairs, taking my time pulling off his sweats, relishing in the thickening of his vanilla scent as I remove each piece of clothing. And as I press kisses to each inch of his exposed skin I can’t help but hope Kageyama and Hinata can find their own balance. Can’t help but hope they can find what the rest of our packmates have found: their other half. Because the thought of never having Koushi like this again makes me want to rip apart the world to take it back. I can only imagine how hard it would be for Kageyama, who has never known Hinata like this, to then have to watch him with another. Because I know Kageyama loves Hinata, just as Hinata loves Kageyama. They’re just too dumb to realize it themselves.

~~~~~~

**Kageyama Tobio POV**

I leave Sawamura-san and Sugawara-san in their genkan, the sound of their door clicking shut behind me feeling so final. I know I can’t turn back from this decision. I have to tell Hinata the truth, and let him make the best decision for his future. Because I do want to be his Alpha. I’ve always wanted to be his Alpha. But I’m not a traditional Alpha. I’m not like all the other Alpha’s on that list. I’m not like the Miya twins who have every Alpha, Beta, and Omega in his orbit falling in love with them. I’m not as handsome as Terushima Yuji, or as comforting as Kunimi Akira. I can’t protect him as well as Ushijima Wakatoshi could, so much stronger than me, so much more Alpha than me. How can I justify being Hinata’s Alpha when he could have so many others protect him and care for him so much better than I ever could? I couldn’t even protect him from that Alpha who attacked him in the alleyway. He did that all by himself, even going so far as to help Yamaguchi in the middle of fighting off his own attacker. Hinata has always been stronger than anyone I’ve ever known, even as an Omega.

I walk the short distance to my own house, quickly and quietly opening the front door and sliding off my shoes, holding my breath. I let it out slowly, prepared to walk to my room and avoid everyone in the house, but stop when I hear Hinata’s voice.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Tsukishima?”

I can almost hear the frown in his voice, can almost picture the slight pout to his lips.

“It means that the King doesn’t want to mate you, but he also doesn’t want anyone else to mate you.” I fight back a growl at Tsukishima, clenching my fists so tight my nails start to dig into my palms. “But it isn’t that he doesn’t like you, Hinata. I think the King is just scared.”

I nearly break my silence, nearly rip into the room and punch Tsukishima in his stupid Beta face. But Hinata starts talking, and I can’t bear to interrupt him.

“What does _he_ have to have scared about?! He’s the Alpha! He’s the one with all the privilege and the power and the strength! He doesn’t have to fight half as hard as the rest of us! He can just use his designation and get whatever he wants!”

I can feel tears pricking in my eyes and I press my balled up fists against them, willing myself to not cry. Hearing the way Hinata sees me as an Alpha just makes me more and more nervous to tell him I love him, that I want to be his Alpha. Because if he sees me like this, like this media portrayal of a stereotypical Alpha, will he even believe me?

“Shouyou, that’s not how it works. I know most people think that, but just because Kageyama is an Alpha, that doesn’t mean he can’t be scared. Everyone gets scared, and everyone cries, and everyone gets upset. Growing up we were always told that Alphas had to be strong and providers and never cry and always be sure of themselves. We were told Omegas had to be docile and submissive and breeders and always emotional. Betas were always to be the level-headed ones, the ones who keep the Alphas and Omegas calm and in line when temperatures ran high, but that’s not true. We are more than our designation. We are more than our hormones. We are more than our scents. We’re people, too.”

I don’t think I’ve ever been so appreciative of Yamaguchi as I am right this moment, hearing him validate the way I feel, trying to explain that to Hinata.

“Hinata, you know how you always hate the way people think less of you because you’re small, and Omegan?”

Hinata doesn’t respond verbally, but I assume he makes some sort of movement, because Tsukishima keeps talking. 

“That’s kind of what you’re doing to Kageyama right now. You’re saying he shouldn’t feel scared or upset over the prospect of someone he obviously cares for being forced to bond to an Alpha in order to follow their dream. But he’s also scared of being that Alpha for you, because then he’d be the one trying to live up to your standards of what an Alpha should be. Do you remember in high school when Shimizu presented as an Alpha, and Tanaka presented as an Alpha, too? How everyone said he shouldn’t like her, because she was an Alpha, and so was he?”

“Yeah, he was really upset about it. He said it shouldn’t matter, that he had liked Shimizu-san for years, and that her designation wouldn’t change that.”

“What you didn’t see was that Shimizu was bullied relentlessly by girls all over the school, told she shouldn’t be taking all the attention from the Alpha boys because she was an Alpha, so she should go look for some Omega or Beta boys. But Shimizu was like Tanaka in that she didn’t care about someone’s designation. They’re getting married in the spring. And there is nothing wrong with two Alphas being mated and getting married, is there?”

“Of course not! Shimizu-san and Tanaka-san love each other!”

“And their designation roles don’t play a role in their life together, because they love each other. So why, if you love King, should his designation play in how he should act or feel?”

“I… I think I owe Kageyama an apology, don’t I?” I can hear Hinata’s voice just barely, a small whisper in the room. He sounds so sad, so contrite, I want to walk in and stop him. Tell him he never needs to apologize to me, but I wait.

“I think that would be a good idea, Shouyou.”

“But I don’t know where he is! I’m going to have to go and find him!”

“There’s really no need for that, Hinata.”

“And why is that?”

“Because King has been standing in the genkan for the past ten minutes listening to our entire conversation. Haven’t you, King?”

“Don’t call me that.” I snap, walking past the living room and down the hall to my room.

“Bakageyama, wait! I want to talk!” Hinata yells, scrambling after me.

“Fine!” I push Hinata into my room and slam the shut behind us, locking it for good measure. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I,” He pauses, looking down at his feet. “I wanted to apologize for being a jerk. I didn’t think about your feelings, and I think I hurt them. But Kageyama, I don’t want any of those other Alphas from the league. I don’t trust them.”

“Hinata, I’m not like other Alphas. I can’t protect you the same way that they could. I can’t give you that same protection, and I can’t give you the same prestige that being their Omega would bring you.”

“But I don’t care about that! I don’t care about prestige! I care about being happy, and playing volleyball makes me happy!” He grabs me by the collar, pulling me down until my face is level with his own, bending my back in an uncomfortable position to do so. “I trust you, Kageyama Tobio, and I want you to be my Alpha. I want you to be the one that bonds me, the one that protects me, the one that takes care of me. The one who one day might even love me.”

“Hinata, I-” I swallow the tears threatening in my eyes, feeling the burn in my throat. “Shouyou, I already love you.”

“As a friend?” He asks, tears in his own eyes spilling over.

“Yeah. And more than that, too. I love you, Hinata Shouyou, and I would be honored to be your Alpha.”

Hinata pulls me into a bruising kiss, his tears falling faster and faster, tasting like citrus on my tongue. His scent is all around me, and I feel like I’m drowning in a forest of citrus and bamboo. 

“You’ll mark me? You’ll be my Alpha?”

“Whenever you’re ready, Shouyou, I will mark you. I’ll be your Alpha for as long as you want me.”

Hinata looks at me with such a loving expression on his face that I can’t help but cry as well, overwhelmed with emotion, overwhelmed with what I can have. Overwhelmed by what is right in front of me, begging me to take it for my own.

Hinata turns his head to the side, exposing his scent glands, a small smile on his lips.

“I’m ready now, Tobio.”

“Are you-Shouyou are you sure?”

I can feel my teeth elongating, feel my instincts telling me to bite him now, to not let him have a chance to change his mind, but I push it down without remorse. Hinata comes before my own feelings, my own instincts. He always will.

“I’m sure, Tobio. I love you. I trust you. I want you to be my Alpha. I want to be your Omega.”

I lean in slowly, pressing a light kiss to his glands before wrapping my arms tight around him.

“This might hurt, Shouyou. But I’m right here, okay? I’ll always be right here.” I whisper in his ear, pressing kisses back down his neck slowly, languidly running my tongue all over the skin of his neck. 

He nods against me, quivering in anticipation, and it takes all of my willpower to not bite him right away. Instead, I take a deep breath against his skin, letting his scent settle deep in my lungs. It’s a calming, bright scent. Energizing, loving, and so warm. I want to memorize his scent before I change it, melting it together with my own as I bind us together. 

With his scent deep in my lungs I press my teeth into his neck, pressing harder and harder until I feel his skin give, feel the pop of release, feel blood on my tongue. Hinata gasps and twitches in my arms, trying to jerk away from the pain in his neck while also pressing closer to me, his body wanting me to make the pain go away. His instincts tell him that I’m the only one that can make the pain go away, but his brain is telling him that I’m the one creating the pain. It’s a juxtaposition that he can’t make heads or tails of, and he goes limp in my arms with a little whimper. I lick all over the bite, feeling so calm and secure seeing the ring of punctures in his throat. I tilt my head to the side for him to reciprocate, smile at the shy blush on his cheeks.

“Go ahead, Shou.” I whisper encouragingly, petting his head and pulling him closer to my throat. “Claim me right back.”

I know it’s the right thing to say when he presses his teeth in hard, the give of skin nearly instantaneous, and I growl deep in my throat at the mixture of pain and pleasure. The pain of my skin breaking, the pleasure of being claimed by my Omega. Hinata licks all over my neck as he pulls away from the bite with a slight purr in his chest, a blush high on his cheeks. He kisses me softly, and I sigh into the kiss, feeling content and whole. I can feel him inside of me, feel his emotions, feel his contentment. I can feel how happy he is to be mine, for me to be his. I can feel how secure he feels now, knowing he can follow his dreams. I can feel how much he trusts me, how much he loves me. I never realized just how deep mate bonds go, just how much I can feel of him, just how much I can feel exactly where he is. 

I can feel Hinata Shouyou so deep inside my brain, inside my heart, inside my soul. He’s a part of me now, as I am a part of him. And nothing can tear that apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly longer chapter as a treat because I'm streaming tonight with one of my friends so I can't update my other two fics. If you read my other two fics and were wanting an update tonight, I'M SORRY. I'll try and update them tomorrow when I get some free time.
> 
> Find me on discord if you want to chat! etherrealowl#7936

**Author's Note:**

> Quick Gender/Age/Scent List (for reference): Alpha Kuroo (21) - Cinnamon; Omega Kozume (20) - Apples; Alpha Bokuto (21) - Forest after rain; Omega Akaashi (20) - Roses; Alpha Kageyama (19) - Bamboo; Omega Hinata (19) - Citrus; Alpha Sawamura (21) - Cloves; Omega Sugawara (21) - Vanilla; Alpha Nishinoya (20) - Sage; Beta Azumane (21) - Mint; Alpha Yaku (21) - Bergamont; Omega Haiba (19) - Honey; Beta Tsukishima (19) - Moonlight; Beta Yamaguchi (19) - Starlight
> 
> Their majors are as follows:  
> Kuroo: Major Sports Business/Minor Sports Medicine  
> Kenma: Major Game Design  
> Bokuto: Major Sport Psychology  
> Akaashi: Major Literature  
> Kageyama: Major Sports Nutrition  
> Hinata: Major Sports Medicine  
> Sawamura: Major Criminal Justice  
> Sugawara: Major Education/Minor Child Psychology  
> Nishinoya: Major Athletic Training  
> Azumane: Major Fashion/Minor Journalism  
> Yaku: Major Biochemistry - Concentration in Suppressant Development  
> Haiba: Major Photography  
> Tsukishima: Major Biochemistry - Concentration in Suppressant Development/Minor Astronomy  
> Yamaguchi: Major Music Composition


End file.
